WA Governor Race Ends

Republican Dino Rossi decided last night to not appeal yesterday's decision by Chelan judge John Bridges to let last November's governor election stand -- the closest in U.S. history -- which keeps Christine Gregoire, who won by 129 votes after two recounts, in office. The Republicans claimed that fraud and mistakes far exceeded the difference between the candidates, and that statistical analysis showed Rossi might have received more legal votes. Bridges concluded there were thousands of incorrect votes and other major problems, but that the Republicans didn't meet the high threshold of proof that the result was incorrect. He also said he feared current law will make elections problems even worse, and urged the government and voters to work to fix the system.

Comments

Re:Here's an idea...

[whidbey island geek]

That is exactly what Rossi tried to have happen.

But the courts said "No Joy."

Bummer.

Re:Elections and Technology

[Vicissidude]

You need to read the news. The largest problems were supposedly with absentee ballots, which don't use those electronic voting systems.

Joy Luck Club

[Doc Ruby]

No, Rossi tried everything he could to become governor, including the fraud that got his original cheating victory thrown out. When he originally won (by the skin of his cheating teeth), he blabbed all about how Gregoire should let him keep the office "for the good of the state", without all that "divisive" complaining. When the tables were turned, Rossi of course ignored all his own self-serving "advice", and the "good of the state", in favor of his attempts to try again in the courts himself. Then, when he got his day in court, he charged Gregoire's campaign with "fraud", but presented no evidence of fraud. Just evidence of the same kind of badly run election we've got all over the country, that usually favors the Republicans running their state election commissions.

You can try to spin this (repeated) Republican defeat in attempting to take office through a court. But it's obvious that Rossi was doing everything he could, even things he couldn't, to take the Governor's office, regardless of the merits, or the damage to Washington. Of course politicians do anything to win, but we don't have to like it.

Now that both sides have been hurt in their war over shoddy state election work, maybe there's a mutual interest in fixing the system. Continuing to fight the war after its over will only get in the way of that more important work.

Re:Joy Luck Club

[Doc Ruby]

When a Seattle councilmember found that his own vote had been discarded, along with many other votes from disproportionately Democratic King County, he obtained a recount. Which showed that lots of Democratic votes had been discarded.

Fraud.

And the coverup is sick. We do not live in a democracy anymore, because the vote counters are controlled by the local party in league with the vote counting corporation. That merger of state and corporate power is called "fascism" (Mussolini). Nationally, 80% of the votes are counted by 3 corporations, owned by Republicans, who even commit in public to delivering their local Electoral College ballots for their candidate.

Re:Joy Luck Club

[Doc Ruby]

You've just made up your mind to support your team's pick, regardless of the facts. His absentee ballot was illegally disqualified, along with 561 others, without cause. Which disqualification was explicitly recorded, and which the councilman was able to discover - along with the other 560.

So it is *you* who is lying, through the standard Republican "plausible deniability" tactic of willful ignorance. Everyone familiar with this ballot story knows about Councilman Larry Phillips' discovery, if they want to know any of the facts. But you obviously don't - as I have proven here. So it's no surprise that your Republican liar package comes complete with your baseless accusation of me, projecting exactly your own major malfunction onto me. Have fun with Gregoire: in 4 years, you'll have another chance to steal an election from the majority, and lie about it all you want. After all, it'll be all their fault, right?

LIES

[Vicissidude]

From the Seattle Times (emphasis mine): [Judge] Bridges said there was no evidence to suggest fraud, intentional misconduct or any attempt to manipulate the election. He said election officials "attempted to perform their responsibilities in a fair and impartial manner."

While he had stern words about how King County ran the election, Bridges said that even there, Republicans failed to show any intentional wrongdoing.

"While there is evidence of irregularities, as there appears to be in every election based on the testimony of various county election officials, there is no ... clear and convincing evidence that improper conduct or irregularity procured Ms. Gregoire's election," the judge said. Now please stop spreading your lies.